Seen You Before
by onekisstotakewithmex
Summary: They met each other four times, over the course of their lives. And each time, she carried a little more of him within her memory. sorta Kibbs, somewhat-AU


She could have sworn, in later years that she'd known him from the moment they met, and she couldn't help but feel that she'd met him before. In another life, another world, maybe. When they were different people, perhaps, leading different lives… maybe they'd still found each other. And she'd never known exactly how true that was. Somehow in some way, she'd known him.

 ** _~1981~_**

It was the usual road trip, and days of too-bright sunlight, crummy diner food, and boredom were making Katie crazy. That, and sharing a car with her three older brothers, who pinched and elbowed her, and muscled in on her space. She barely counted Rachel, who was too busy reading to take sides. They were going somewhere to visit family, but all Katie wanted was to get out of the car. Besides, she was hungry again.

"Mommy, are we stopping soon?"

"I don't know. Caitlin, please don't ask me." Rosalie was harried-looking already, and Katie made a face. No one but her mom called her _Caitlin,_ anyway.

"Mom," John announced, "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry. So congratulations." Michael retorted, elbowing him.

"Shut up."

" _You_ shut up!"

"Boys! I will come back there!" That- as was usually the case- was enough to momentarily silence them.

Daniel smiled at Katie, as usual keeping his mouth shut to avoid getting hit, insulted or yelled at. She smiled back. He was always the nicest of the three, and didn't complain about her tagging along as much as Mike did- the big meanie.

"Rosalie, sweetheart, maybe we should stop for a bit and let the kids out. They're going stir-crazy back there, and we've been on the road for five hours."

Kate giggled, even though she only barely understood what "stir-crazy" meant. She liked the sound of it though, which was good enough for her.

"Stir crazy!" she said gleefully as the car slowed down. Mike was arguing with Dan about opening a window- it was pretty hot in the car- and then a fresh breeze poured in through the window, somewhat tainted by an pervasive smell. Katie inhaled, enjoying the unfamiliar scent, closing her eyes as she did so.

"Don't breathe too deeply kids, or the coal dust will settle in your lungs." Rosalie's nagging voice cut through her enjoyment, but she still found herself like the smell of coal. She had learned about coal-mining from Rachel, who read everything, and knew that Santa would give you coal at Christmas for being bad, but why give it to bad kids if it actually smelled good?

The car came to a halt, and her dad ordered, "That's it. Everyone _out_ of the car." He used his scary-sounding, policeman voice. The five of them obeyed, tumbling out of the car, and into the parking lot of a public park. The sun didn't seem too bright anymore, and Katie grinned to herself, glad to be out of the car that smelled like boys.

"C'mon Katie," her dad grabbed her hand, "Let's go find some snacks, huh?"

"Yeah!" She ran ahead, tugging him along behind her. The entire town was quiet, and the sun was hot on her dark hair. Her daddy looked tired, and she hoped it wasn't her fault. "Where are we, daddy?"

Andrew looked down at his youngest child with fondness. "A little town called Stillwater."

"What state are we in, dad?"

He smiled, as they crossed the street. "Aren't you full of questions today! We're in Pennsylvania, Katie. Now c'mon, snack time."

"Good. I'm hungry." They got to a dusty-looking store, the sign saying something in big words that Kate couldn't understand. She'd learned how to read, but not nearly as well as Rachel had. And she could read, but instead would spend her days running around with her big brothers and her friends instead. Rachel never wanted to play, because she was boring and read too much.

A bell rang as her father pushed open the door, revealing a sunlit room full of everything and anything. Katie's eyes went wide as they stepped into the coolness of indoors.

Her dad knelt down, "Go on Katie, pick out some snacks for the car."

She ran over, admiring the shelves and shelves of junk food. She grabbed things off the shelves, sometimes having to stretch to reach what she wanted. And then, on the highest shelf, she saw what she wanted: a big bag of gummy worms, her favorite candy. But even jumping up and down, Katie couldn't reach them. And then from behind her, someone grabbed the bag of candy.

She froze, and turned around. Behind her, holding her bag of candy, was a man- a young man- with dark, close-cut hair and the prettiest blue eyes she'd ever seen.

"Oh." He saw who he was helping, and knelt down, "Are these yours?"

Wordlessly, she nodded, still stunned by how blue his eyes were. He handed them to her, and she ran back to her dad, handing him the armful of junk she'd accumulated.

He grinned down at her, "Think we've got enough there, Katie?"

She nodded, grabbing his hand. He'd been standing at the counter, talking to the store owner, who also had super pretty blue eyes. The older man smiled as Andrew piled the food on the counter, and looked down at Katie, "Hello there, young lady."

"Hi," she managed a smile, suddenly feeling shy. She was never shy around adults, but after the encounter with the man who helped her get her candy, she was feeling a bit wrong.

And then he asked, "How old are you?"

"I'm five."

"Five! Wow, you're old. And is all this candy just for you?"

"No," Katie grinned at him, though she was missing one of her front teeth. "It's for my big brothers too. They eat everything."

"Boys do eat a lot," the man agreed, as he rang up the groceries. And then he smiled, looking over her dad's shoulder. "Leroy!"

Katie turned to see the man who'd helped her reach her gummy worms, smiling hesitantly. She didn't like the name _Leroy_ , it didn't fit the blue eyes. "Hey Jack," he said in a soft voice. Then he noticed Kate, and winked at her.

"Come on Katie," her dad took her hand again, "Better get back or your mum will worry."

Kate chanced a wave at him- Leroy- and much to her surprise, he waved back. Still smiling, she followed her dad back to the car.

 ** _~1990~_**

K hated waitressing more than anything. But living with John's family for the summer in Quantico meant that she had to find a job, even if she felt absurd. And watching the outlandish, _Happy Days_ scene going on in front of her with the family that had just walked in, she'd nearly entertained the thought of just going back to Indiana. Of course, after leaving so triumphantly, the thought of going back made her want to pluck her eyeballs out with a dull knife and then eat them. She was only 14, but was already feeling suffocated by small town life. She'd gotten out for the summer as soon as possible, but nothing would possibly persuade her to stay a day past her eighteenth birthday.

But today? She was strangely optimistic as one of the other waiters sat the family at a table. A man with a military haircut, and a woman and little girl, who were both redheads. All seemed ridiculously happy, and K had to check and make sure there wasn't a TV crew around. Sighing, she plastered on a fake smile, trying to ignore a flicker of instinct deep in her belly. "How are you all doing today?" she asked, smilng at them.

The woman smiled back, "We're pretty good, thanks."

The little girl, who'd been whispering conspiratorially with her father, turned and grinned at K, "My daddy just got home!" she announced.

"Aw Kelly, it's not that exciting."

"Don't be silly, Jethro." The woman smiled at him, as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "We missed you."

The solider turned to Kate with a smile, and she felt herself tense. Why did she recognize him?

"I'll have a coffee," he said, watching her.

"And anything to go with that?" she asked. "Sweetener, sugar… cream?"

"I just take it black. And strong." He smiled up at her. She nodded.

The woman spoke up again, "We'll also have a Coke and a milk. Not all of us can stomach coffee at dinner."

"Sure, I'll bring those right out." She met eyes with the man, Jethro, the woman had called them. A noble name, it meant _excellence._ It was, interesting enough, the name of Moses' father-in-law. Shaking her head, she went back to the kitchen, realizing that it was the eyes. Those outlandishly bright blue eyes that she could now feel watching her, had caused something to flicker in her memory. But right after Jethro and his family came in, the lunch rush started, and she got busy.

By the time she'd gone to clean the table, they were heading out the door. And as he was leaving, the man raised a hand, and waved at her. Surprised and confused, she waved back, before turning to clean off the table. Why the hell was she so confused? Not that any of it mattered. She'd never see the man again, and that was that. Or so she thought anyway. She had more important things to worry about, like high school, and saving for law school.

 ** _~1999~_**

Caitlin Todd- known to her colleagues and friends as Kate, was not usually someone who frequented breakfast places in DC. Especially crummy diners that reminded her all too much of coming home with the smell of the deep fryer in her hair. But, having received the phone call at the crack of dawn- no matter, she had just gotten back from her morning run anyway- she had just found out: the vetting was complete, and she was due to start training to work for the Secret Service. And not just Secret Service, but the goddamn Presidential Detail itself.

It was mind-blowing, and so a big breakfast was in order. And while sipping coffee, it was then that she noticed the man in the corner booth, watching everyone. She realized, completely stunned that it wasn't just any man. She recognized him from another crummy diner, nine years ago. What the hell was his name? Jethro.

Only now he was alone, just sipping from a mug of what she suspected was coffee. Her brain offered up relevant information- _he liked his coffee black, and strong. Nothing in it. He was military. And he's still got the haircut._

Not that it mattered, because she'd have recognized him anywhere, when their eyes met. Good God. But instead of turning away, he met her gaze straight on. And it gave her cause to wonder just what the hell the man had gone through. She'd already started rudimentary profile training, but it was mere instinct that told her the man was deeply saddened by a loss of some kind. Her stomach turned as she thought of the little girl and the woman. Had something happened?

His eyes were the same, the bluest of blue, the color the ocean ought to be. She rolled her eyes to herself, getting back to her eggs, reminding herself that if she wanted to be dramatic, she could always quit the Secret Service, and go write novels for a living. Of course, her sense of adventure (and misadventure) would not let her simply settle down. She watched as he threw a few crumpled dollar bills down on the table before standing up. And that's when she saw it.

He carried a gun, and a badge on his belt. She couldn't read what agency he worked for, but as he left, without making eye contact again, she wondered if she'd run into him somewhere down the line. After all, interagency cooperation helped make things run smoothly. And she had no reason to believe that a former military man would have any reason to disregard procedure and protocol. Wasn't the military all about protocol?

Leaning back in her seat, she sipped at her own coffee, wondering if he remembered the skinny waitress he'd met nine years prior. However, she was almost certain that her memory of him went back even further, though where she could have met him before that day in the diner, she didn't know. But as he met her eyes again at the door, he nodded. As if to say, _yes, we know each other._ And then with the chime of a bell, he was gone. And she was left behind, puzzled.

 ** _~2003~_**

He hadn't been a ME's assistant, that she had known from the beginning, but when she'd barged back on board, demanding to know who the hell they were, she had seen him and thought _Hey I know you._ And she had. It was Jethro.

Or as he'd introduced himself at the time, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Still with the blue eyes, his hair with more grey than the last time she'd seen him, and more charming than she'd ever remembered.

He had held her when she'd cried about Tim. He had helped her solve a murder. He had smiled at her, and damn him, it was attractive. And then when she'd resigned, shamed, he'd swooped right in for the kill and offered her a job.

And now here she was, the morning of the first day of work. And someone was hammering at her door while she was all sweaty in her workout gear. God damn, nothing was going her way lately. She opened it, only to find Leroy Jethro Gibbs himself.

"Gibbs?" she asked, confused, zipping her sweater as he leaned against the door casually.

"Did anyone ever call you Katie?"

She frowned. "You mean aside from you?"

"Yeah. Aside from me."

"My dad… used to call me Katie when I was a little girl. My mother preferred to use my full name. Why did you show up now to ask me about my name?"

"Because I know you, Katie."

"What? You mean from the diner?"

The smirk on his face slipped, then regained itself. "No, not from the diner. A store in a little town called Stillwater. Years and years ago, you told my dad you were five. I helped you get a bag of gummy worms."

"That was _you_?" she asked, surprised, and took a closer look. "Holy shit, Gibbs."

He grinned, "I never woulda recognized ya, but for some reason, when you showed up to visit me at work with a bag of gummy worms and a coffee.. Jesus Kate."

"So you showed up to tell me that you remembered me as a five year old? I'm confused, Gibbs."

"Isn't it weird?" he asked.

"It could just be a coincidence," she rationalized.

"No such thing as coincidences."

"Is that one of your rules too?"

"Yep. Feel free to crochet that one."

"You absolutely, irritating-,"

"Bastard?" he offered with a smirk.

"Yes. Bastard."

"We always seem to find each other. I think I was meant to hire ya, Katie. Don't disappoint me."

"I won't," she said firmly.

He leaned in, still smirking, staring at her lips, and she was reminded again of how gorgeous his eyes were.

"I won't!"

He leaned in so they were practically touching, "I hope not Katie. I'd hate to fire ya."

"You won't have to," it was barely a whisper, but his lips were so close to hers, and it was so very wrong, it was the exact reason she had resigned from her last job.

"Good." His lips brushed hers, before he pulled away smirking down at her. "You gonna invite me in?"

"You do that to all your new hires?"

"What kiss them? Nah. Besides, Tony already turned me down."

"Come on in," she rolled her eyes, "I'll make you coffee."

"Remember, I-,"

"You only take it black, and you like it strong," she finished.

"Strong is good," and somehow she knew he wasn't just talking about the coffee.

"If it was meant to be, does that mean you'll go easy on me?" she teased.

"No. Can't afford to."

"Good. I love a challenge."


End file.
